


Tony’s Guide to Raising An Alien Child

by TinyandSteve



Series: How to raise an alien child [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I promise it's gonna be super fluffy, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Peter is an alien, Stony in later chapters, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony is just in a bad place at the beginning, because he misses Jarvis, tony learns how to parent an alien child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 21:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20477426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyandSteve/pseuds/TinyandSteve
Summary: Helping a stranded alien child wasn't on Tony's agenda, nor growing fond of said child.or; Tony adopts an alien child aka Peter.





	Tony’s Guide to Raising An Alien Child

The Audi purred under Tony’s touch. The leather of the steering wheel was nice and cold under his tight grip, which brought a comfort to him. The firm hold grounded him, eased away the emptiness that threatened to creep over his skin deep down into his bones until it swallowed him whole.

He had just visited Jarvis’ grave and brought him some fresh flowers. Tony had lit a candle while he leaned against the gravestone and told Jarvis about everything that happened since the last time he visited him. It always put him in a melancholy mood, like someone had punched him in the chest and left a hole that let all the good memories with Jarvis bleed to the surface.

It was Jarvis who was there for him when Howard pushed, beat, and broke him, time and time again. He would clean the wounds, listen to Tony’s silent, stuttered apologies and explanations, offering a comfort that Howard never even thought of. The man was more of a father to Tony than Howard ever was, so Tony missed him dearly.

It had been a hard day. He had a nightmare that had woken him up with a start, leaving him sweat-soaked and panting. Flashes of dirty water disrupted his vision - _people yelling at him, pushing his head into a tank with ice-cold water as the car battery attached to his chest sent sparks of electricity to his core, numbing his insides. His burning lungs were the only thing that reminded him that he was still alive, that he was still breathing. Oh, how he wished he wasn’t in that moment._ Immediately upon waking, he had checked for a hole in his chest; searching for guards who would push him right under and a friend who was no longer alive.

Pepper had broken up with him after the palladium poisoning fiasco and took away the only healthy coping mechanism and form of comfort. She might be tough and collected for the public eye, but provided Tony with loving words and soothing touches, a steady and kind presence in his life that would calm him like no other. She had promised to be always there for him and listen to him, but he felt awkward even mentioning his nightly terrors to her now. It seemed too intimate, and they weren’t close like that anymore. It wasn’t her fault. He would never blame her.

So he did what he always did to take his mind off of his troubles: he took the day off to get out of the city and visit his old friend. A change of scenery was supposed to work wonders, Pepper once told him, and so he tried - but all the visit really did was make him more mournful than he already was.

The highway back into the city was empty as if the world seemed to know that Tony Stark needed a moment to himself. He had opened the convertible hood of the car before he started his journey home to feel the wind blow in his face. The red-tinted sunglasses on his nose covered the tear streaks running down his face. The sunset reflected in Tony’s sunglasses, tinting the world in a peaceful and comfortable ambiance.

A deafening noise and a blinding light pulled Tony from his thoughts, and he slammed on the brakes. For a moment the car slithered over the road before he managed to stop it on the side of the highway. The genius stilled in his seat, his knuckles white from the tight grip on the steering wheel. He slowly turned his head to where the crash had coming from.

“J.A.R.V.I.S, activate the gauntlet,” Tony mumbled while he tapped a code into his watch, his eyes still trained into the distance. The armor covered his wrist and snuck up his palm before it wrapped around his finger. The repulsor charged, ready to attack. He was always prepared for a fight, no longer trusting anyone. Not after Stane’s betrayal.

Tony slowly stepped out of the car, leaving the door open in case he had to escape quickly. He stepped closer to the crash site. Whatever had caused the loud noise was obscured by a cloud of dust.

“Is anyone hurt? Do you need help?” Tony yelled, his covered hand stretched out. Coughing and rumbling could be heard as the cloud started to vanish. Tony made out a bizarre, round construction that looked a lot like a spaceship he had seen in the Star Wars movies with Pepper. He had never seen a car in such a shape.

It didn’t have any wheels like the cars he had on the lower levels of his lab. No typical form of an automobile and he couldn’t make out a steering wheel on the inside of the odd-looking thing.

His stomach was slowly sinking, brows furrowing as the realization started to sink in. It wasn’t a car. It was an extraterrestrial plane. No, not a plane. A ship. It was a real spaceship. It didn’t seem possible, and yet here it was.

The machine seemed to give up on life, the sounds and blinking lights fading. He averted his eyes from the ship to a small figure crawling away from the ship. Was the person purple or was his mind playing tricks on him again? Tony took off the glasses and squinted, not ready to come closer to whatever was trying to escape.

“Hey, you! Stop!” he shouted at the figure. The person turned around in what seemed like utter shock. Its skin was no longer purple but matched his own now. Was it purple to begin with? _God_, Tony needed to get a nice drink once he got home, catch some rest and forget today ever happened.

Tony took a closer look and soon realized that he was looking at a cowering boy - a boy that looked more afraid than Tony felt. _Huh_, he thought. He didn’t even seem like a threat.

Tony let his hand sink and crouched down to be eye level with the boy. He looked not a day older than fourteen, with big, brown, doe-like eyes and a mop of messy curls on top of his head. Were those _antennas?_

The child blinked at him, seemingly contemplating what to do next. He didn’t move or breathe, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Tony cleared his throat before he spoke. He tried to keep his voice soft and low, forgetting about his former turmoil. “Hey, I am Tony. I won’t hurt you if you promise to not hurt me, even though I doubt you'll get very far with your ship.” he snorted at his last words, lifting both hands in a peace offering.

The Alien boy’s eyes followed Tony’s hand, widening every passing moment as he took in the gauntlet. Golden dots and tiny strokes appeared under his eyes and on his neck, running down his arms to his knuckles, illuminating his pale skin. The antennas started to vibrate.

Tony watched in wonder as the boy’s skin started to glow, fascinated with his reactions. He eventually followed the boy’s gaze to his hands and realized his mistake.

“Oh, you’re afraid of the armor,” Tony concluded and wiggled his finger. A smile crept on his face as he asked J.A.R.V.I.S to deactivate the gauntlet. The red glove disappeared back into his watch, leaving not only his hand bare but also his whole being. He was vulnerable without his armor, but the boy didn’t seem to be a threat, so he figured he was safe for now.

“Do you even understand what I’m saying?” Tony asked the boy, letting his arms fall. The boy nodded slowly and deliberately.

“My head is able to translate your language into mine, and my language into yours when I speak,” the little alien whispered, his shoulders still tense and on alert, like Tony would still attack him any second. He reminded the man of a frightened animal. With a sigh, Tony fell to his knees and stretched out his hand, palm up, not even caring about dirtying his expensive dress pants.

“I have no intention of hurting you. You wanna know how I see the situation?” he gave the alien a moment for a reaction and continued after a boy gave him a tiny nod.

“You crashed on a foreign planet and you have no way of taking off again anytime soon, because, I am sorry to say, buddy, your ship seems to be quite useless at the moment. So you are basically stranded here alone and not knowing anyone,” Tony guessed. The man’s words made the boy’s shoulder sag with every word. The young alien started to fiddle with his hands in a nervous manner and turned his eyes away from Tony and to his damaged ship, noticeably shaken from the fact that the man was correct about his situation.

“I am Peter,” he mumbled after a while. “and you are right.” Peter looked up again, his eyes fixed on Tony’s while he tugged on the sleeves of his silver suit. “I don - I don’t know what to do or where to go.” the boy admitted after a while, his tense posture dropped in defeat.

Oh, how Tony wished he could just turn around, get into his car, drive home and pretend this never happened. The whiskey that was stashed away in one of the kitchen cabinets would surely help with the process of forgetting, but the boy seemed helpless and something inside Tony pulled at his heartstrings. He could leave Peter there, letting him fend for himself and not deal with the consequences of suggesting what he was about to suggest. Tony let his eyes fall shut and hummed, just considering the options.

Someone would find the ship eventually. It was quite large. People would ask questions and the government would bring out their big guns to search for whoever crashed the spaceship in the first place. They would find Peter at some point because the alien probably couldn’t go very far without any help and Tony doubted that the boy had any knowledge about humans. He would step right into their trap and they would lock him up and experiment on him. And did Tony really want _that_ on his conscience?

“Look, kid, I am a mechanic. I can get someone to pick up your ship and help you get it fixed.” Tony eventually said with a heavy sigh, taking a look at the ship as well. He had to see if he could work with the hardware and make sure that repair parts were available.

Peter seemed hesitant at first. The boy chewed on his lips, considering his options as well. “Why would you help me?” Peter asked the man, a wary look in his eyes. Eyes that looked suspiciously a lot like Tony’s.

“What other options do you have, hm? That’s the best outcome, really. You could either accept my help or get caught and be experimented on,” Tony explained with a shrug. “And you remind me of myself,” he added under his breath.

Tony didn't lie. The young alien reminded him of himself. He not only shared some significant features with the man, like the exact same shape of his eyes but also acted like a younger Tony.

Peter looked at him for a solid minute, not blinking once before he stood up. He dusted off some dirt from his suit and put his hands on his hips.

“Alright, Tony. Show me the way. How many moon rises till we get to your accommodation?” The young alien asked the man and started to march in the wrong direction. He had gone from scared and afraid to determined and purposeful. For a moment Tony wondered whether or not he made the right decision to take in a stranded alien boy. After all, what did he know about aliens? And who knew what intentions this particular alien had. Tony did have a record of trusting the wrong people.

“Kid, come on. That’s not the way. I parked my car over there.” Tony stopped the boy, putting a hand on his shoulder and turning him around. He pointed to his parked vehicle on the highway. The boy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, a curious expression crept on his features.

“What is a car, Tony?” he asked with furrowed brows. A quick glance at the hand on his shoulder made the boy stop in his tracks. The touch had nothing intimidating about it. It was rather guiding, Peter decided. None of his senses started to ring and alarm him. Tony seemed to be a genuine person with sincere intentions. He could trust him for now.

“It’s a little like your space ship here. It can’t fly and I bet it’s not as fast, but it transports us where we need to go.” Tony informed him and started to walk towards the car, pushing the boy forward as well.

“Okay.” It took Peter a few moments but eventually he started walking. The man’s hand was comforting on his back. After spending so much time alone on his ship, he started to miss other presences next to him. He got lonely pretty quickly and being able to interact with a person after so long, even if the man was a stranger to him, was refreshing.

It was quite a sight to see the boy stop in front of the car. Confusion laced the alien’s features as he crossed his arms, his antennas vibrating. Tony opened the passenger door for him.

“Come on, kid. It’s getting late. It was a difficult day for me so I would appreciate if we could just go home and sort this mess out tomorrow, huh?” Tony dragged a tired hand over his face, scratching his goatee. Peter did as he was told, his eyes never leaving the older man. Tony closed the door and got into the driver's seat. “And if I am lucky, this whole day turns out to be just a bad dream,” he muttered under his breath. Not really wanting for Peter to hear any of it in case this mess was not a dream after all.

“What is a kid? You have been calling me that.” Peter asked as soon as Tony helped the boy to fasten the belt.

“Well, it’s another term for a child,” Tony said after a while, trying to get back onto the road. A throbbing pain started to spread from the front of his head to his temples. A migraine was exactly what was missing in this situation.

God, what was he even doing, picking up a stray alien? Pepper would know what to do in such a situation. She was the rational one. The one who always saw the big picture. But wasn’t that the reason why Tony drove her away in the end? Because he was lacking all these qualities? Pepper was everything Tony wasn’t, and in the end, Tony wasn’t enough to keep her by his side.

“I will let you know, that I am in no way a child! I am three moon changes old.” Peter informed him, while his eyes wandered over the board computer. He compared the screens, buttons and hand gear to his own ship, letting his fingertips slide over it.

Tony didn’t answer the young alien, not only because he was tired but the headache made it impossible to think straight, especially when the boy let words and phrases slip that made no sense to the genius. The man just hummed in acknowledgment.

Peter was silent during the drive, that was until they entered the busy streets of New York. They spend more time standing and waiting in the traffic than actually driving. Peter had his hands and face pressed against the window, watching the bustle of the city with a curious twinkle in his eyes. Tony winced at the action. The boy would leave handprints and stains all over the window, much to Happy’s chagrin. He could already see the man getting into a fuss about it.

Tony could feel the excitement radiating from the alien. He watched Peter turning in his seat and getting comfortable on his knees. Little _wows_ and _ohs_ slipped past his lips in astonishment. Tony’s finger drummed on the steering wheel as he watched the boy, waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

“Peter,” he addressed the child while he grabbed something from the back seat and placed it in the kid’s lap. “Put this on.”

Peter averted his eyes from the outside world to the fabric in his lap. He adjusted in his seat to get comfortable, examining the piece of clothing. It was a top but with long sleeves and a what seemed to be like a hood. It was a thicker material than the fabric of his suit and had Stark Industries written on the chest. It was softer than any of the tight suits Peter had to wear since he was born.

“What is it for?” Peter asked, his brows furrowed and his head tilted. He looked a little like a puppy.

“We’re almost there. It will help hide your - well your, you know,” Tony pointed to the antennas. “Humans don’t have those. The hoodie will prevent unwanted attention.”

Peter looked up to where Tony had pointed, nudging one of his antennas. The antennas were a sensitive area and the touch made him giggle.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice that they were still there. My transformation wasn’t as successful as I thought it was.” The boy said, while he pulled the sweater over his head. “Also I think it’s the right moment to inform you that I copied about 97% of your DNA to look like a human.”

Tony should have been horrified by the boy's confession, but he was tired and strung out and it was a really really long day for him. Now, he hadn’t the time to unpack all of that. It could all wait till tomorrow. He huffed in response and tried not to yell and honk at the next bastard that tried to cut him off. All he wanted was to go home and fall into his from Japan exported silk sheets and sleep for three days straight. Maybe in another life.

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a native speaker (obviously), but I will study English in fall and I thought I could start practicing with this little fanfic. Kudos and comments are appreciated and wanted!! I had this idea for a while and I have two installments planned so far. You can find me on tinyandsteven.tumblr.com 
> 
> Some lovely people beta read this but I can't remember who because I forgot my discord password. So let me know so I can give yall proper credit!!


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